Barrons GRE Vocabulary List 11

inured:accustomed; made tough by habitual exposureE.g.She became inured to the Alaskan cold.

invalid:of no force or weight; not valid; weak; void; nullE.g.This ticket has passed its expiration date, and so it is now invalid.

invalidate:make invalid; nullify; destroyE.g.The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had not been in his right mind when he had signed the document.

invective:abusive language used to express blame or ill willE.g.He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal.

inverse:opposite; reversed in order, nature, or effect; turned upside downE.g.There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance.

invert:turn upside down or inside out; reverse the position, order, or condition ofE.g.When he tried to invert his body in a handstand, he felt the blood rush to his head.

inveterate:deep-rooted; firmly and long established; habitualE.g.An inveterate smoker, Bob cannot seem to break the habit, no matter how hard he tries.

invidious:designed to create ill will or envyE.g.We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was.

invincible:incapable of being overcome or defeated; unconquerableE.g.The president who once seemed invincible is now seen as potential vulnerable.

inviolable:secure from corruption, attack, or violation; unassailableE.g.Batman considered his oath to keep the people of Gotham City inviolable: nothing on earth could make him break this promise.

invocation:prayer for help; calling upon as reference or supportE.g.The service of Morning Prayer opens with an invocation during which we ask God to hear our prayers.

invulnerable:incapable of injury; impossible to damage, injure, or woundE.g.In a country where a quarter of students say guns are easily accessible at home, expecting any measure to make a school invulnerable is unrealistic.

iota:very small amount; a bit; ninth letter of the Greek alphabetE.g.All this does not take away one iota from the terrible acts committed yesterday.

irascible:irritable; easily angered; excited by or arising from angerE.g.Miss Minchin's irascible temper intimidated the younger schoolgirls, who feared she'd burst into a rage at any moment.

irate:feeling or showing extreme anger; enragedE.g.One idea that has left many parents and other residents irate is a plan to cut at least 22 teachers by changing class schedules.

iridescent:exhibiting or giving out colors like those of rainbow; gleaming or shimmering with rainbow colorsE.g.She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the surface of the water.

irksome:causing annoyance, weariness, or vexation; tediousE.g.He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to perform.

ironic:humorously sarcastic or mockingE.g.What's truly ironic is how both sides in this polarized debate use precisely the same tactics.

irony:expression by deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning; witty language used to insultE.g.That most of us miss the irony is a vivid demonstration of our blindness.

irreconcilable:incompatible; not able to be resolvedE.g.Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce.

irrefutable:unable to be disproved; incontrovertible; undeniableE.g.No matter how hard I tried to find a good comeback for her argument, I couldn't think of one: her logic was irrefutable.

irrelevant:not applicable; unrelated; having no connection withE.g.In the report they found that dividends are irrelevant to a company's value.

irremediable:incurable; uncorrectable; impossible to remedy or correctE.g.The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it.

irreparable:not able to be corrected or repairedE.g.Any misdirected effort at manipulation or pressure may result in irreparable injury to the parts.

irrepressible:unable to be restrained; difficult or impossible to control or restrainE.g.My friend Kitty's curiosity was irrepressible: she poked her nose into everybody's business and just laughed.

irreproachable:perfect or blameless in every respect; faultless; impeccableE.g.Homer's conduct at the office party was irreproachable; even Marge didn't have anything bad to say about how he behaved.

irresolute:uncertain how to act or proceed; undecided; lacking in resolutionE.g.Once you have made your decision, don't waver; a leader should never appear irresolute.

irretrievable:impossible to recover or regain; irreparableE.g.The left fielder tried to retrieve the ball, but it flew over the fence, bounced off a wall, and fell into the sewer: it was irretrievable.

irreverence:lack of proper respect; disrespectful act or remarkE.g.Some audience members were amused by the irreverence of the comedian's jokes about the Pope; others felt offended by his lack of respect for their faith.

irrevocable:unalterable; irreversible; impossible to retract or revokeE.g.As Sue dropped the "Dear John" letter into the mailbox, she suddenly wanted to take it back, but she could not: her action was irrevocable.

itinerant:wandering; traveling place to place, especially to perform work or dutyE.g.Since the storm, the city had also been attracting a new kind of itinerant idealist.

itinerary:plan of trip; guidebook for travelerE.g.If your itinerary is the Empire State, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square and Chinatown, a standard guidebook will do quite nicely.

jabber:talk rapidly, unintelligibly, or idlyE.g.Why does the fellow jabber away in French when I can't understand a word he says?

jaded:fatigued dulled by surfeit; exhausted; worn out; weariedE.g.She looked jaded from the present conversation and her thoughts ran together bewilderingly.

jargon:language used by a special group; technical terminology; nonsensical or meaningless talkE.g.The computer salesmen at the store used a jargon of their own that we simply couldn't follow.

jaundiced:prejudiced; affected by jaundice which causes yellowing of skin; yellow or yellowishE.g.Because Sue disliked Carolyn, she looked at Carolyn's paintings with a jaundiced eye, calling them formless smears.

jaunt:short trip or excursion, usually for pleasure; short journeyE.g.He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City.

jaunty:gay in manner, appearance, or action; easy and carefreeE.g.In An American in Paris, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way through "Singing in the Rain" in a properly jaunty style.

jeopardize:endanger; imperil; put at riskE.g.He would compel her to listen to what he had to say; he would never again jeopardize their happiness by allowing her to misunderstand him.

jest:deed; action; act performed for amusement; jokeE.g.I can easily see him making that comment in jest and then some site running it as gospel.

jettison:throw overboard; eject from boat, submarine, aircraft, or spaceshipE.g.In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to jettison much of his cargo.

jingoist:extremely aggressive and militant patriot; one who advocates aggressive nationalismE.g.Always bellowing "America first!," the congressman was such a jingoist you could almost hear the sabers rattling as he marched down the halls.

jocose:given to joking; merry; humorousE.g.The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that he become a stand-up comic.

jocular:humorous, amusing or joking; sportive; not seriousE.g.Although Bill knew the boss hated jokes, he couldn't resist making one jocular remark.

jocund:merry; cheerful; gay; airy; lively; sportiveE.g.Her jocund character made her the most popular girl in the county.

jollity:gayness; splendor; cheerfulness or celebrationE.g.The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and young alike joined in the general jollity.

jostle:come into rough contact with while moving; make one's way by pushing or elbowingE.g.In the subway station the crowds jostle him.

jovial:good-natured; marked by good cheer; cheerful and good-humoredE.g.A frown seemed out of place on his invariably jovial face.

jubilation:rejoicing; feeling of extreme joyE.g.There was great jubilation when the armistice was announced.

judicious:exhibiting good judgment or sound thinking; prudentE.g.At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.

juggernaut:overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seems to crush everything in its pathE.g.It doesn't assume that people need necessarily remain passive when confronted by what appears to be the juggernaut of history.

jumble:assemble without order or sense; confused multitude of things; chaos; mess; mixtureE.g.The finale was one big jumble of nonsense, just like the entire series was.

juncture:point in time, especially a critical point; joining pointE.g.That, really, at this juncture is our best hope of avoiding two unacceptable alternatives, a nuclear powered Iran or using military force against them.

junta:group of men joined in political intrigue; group of military officers ruling a countryE.g.As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the junta.

jurisdiction:authority; right and power to interpret and apply the lawE.g.These courts have jurisdiction in this district.

jurisprudence:philosophy or science of law; division or department of lawE.g.He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the law.

kaleidoscope:tube in which patterns made by reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass; produce interesting symmetrical effectsE.g.People found a new source of entertainment while peering through the kaleidoscope; they found the ever-changing patterns fascinating.

kernel:central or vital part; most material and central part; grain or seed as of cornE.g."Watson, buried within this tissue of lies there is a kernel of truth; when I find it, the mystery will be solved.".

killjoy:one who spoils pleasure or fun of others; spoilsportE.g.At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that killjoy John started talking about how bad animal fats were for our health.

kindle:build or fuel a fire; cause to glow; light up; inspireE.g.One of the first things Ben learned in the Boy Scouts was how to kindle a fire by rubbing two dry sticks together.

kindred:related; belonging to the same familyE.g.It is the tie that binds our hearts in kindred love.

kinetic:relating to, or produced by motion; dynamicE.g.For the electric automobile, light and efficient storage batteries is the source of the kinetic energy to propel the vehicle.

kismet:destiny; fate; fortune; the will of AllahE.g.My kismet is indeed bad; I can see no road of escape.

kleptomaniac:person who has compulsive desire to stealE.g.They discovered that the wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap trinkets.

knack:clever, expedient way of doing something; specific talent, especially one difficult to explain or teachE.g.There is a certain knack to lapping a barrel, not everyone is able to successfully do it, but if you can, it will definitely improve the performance of any rifle.

lace:delicate decorative fabric woven in an open web of symmetrical patterns; rope; cord that is drawn through eyeletsE.g.When having brought her ironing-table to the nursery hearth, she allowed us to sit about it, and while she got up Mrs. Reed's lace frills, and crimped her nightcap borders.

laceration:torn, ragged wound; rough or jagged breach made by rendingE.g.He received a depressed skull fracture and a brain laceration from the collision.

lachrymose:weeping or inclined to weep; tearful; showing sorrowE.g.His voice has a lachrymose quality more appropriate to a funeral than a class reunion.

lackadaisical:lacking purpose or zest; halfhearted; lacking spirit or livelinessE.g.Because Gatsby had his mind more on his love life than on his finances, he did a very lackadaisical job of managing his money.

lackluster:dull; lacking luster or shineE.g.We were disappointed by the lackluster performance.

laconic:brief; effectively cut short; marked by use of few wordsE.g.Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.

laggard:slow; sluggish; wasting timeE.g.The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders.

lament:grieve; express sorrow; regret deeplyE.g.Even advocates of the war lament the loss of so many lives in combat.

lampoon:ridicule; subject to abusive ridicule expressed in work of artE.g.The articles lampoon the pretensions of some movie moguls.

lance:weapon, consisting of long handle and steel blade or head; spear carried by horsemen, often decorated with small flagE.g.It is a form of bullfighting where the bull is stabbed repeatedly with a wooden lance from the back of a horse.

languid:lacking energy or vitality; weak; sluggish; lacking spirit or livelinessE.g.Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

languish:lose animation; be or become weak or feeble; lose strength or vigorE.g.Left at Miss Minchin's school for girls while her father went off to war, Sarah Crewe refused to languish; instead, she hid her grief and actively befriended her less fortunate classmates.

languor:feeling of lack of interest or energy; depressionE.g.His friends tried to overcome the languor into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the theater.

larceny:unlawful taking and removing of another's personal property; theftE.g.When an author sells the thoughts of another man for his own, the larceny is called plagiarism.

larder:pantry; place where food is keptE.g.The first thing Bill did on returning home from school was to check what snacks his mother had in the larder.

lechery:unrestrained indulgence in sexual activity; impurity in thought and deedE.g.In his youth he led a life of lechery and debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age.

leery:suspicious or distrustful; wary; cautiousE.g.Having failed to produce evidence backing up these statements, they remain leery about security in their hometowns.

legacy:gift made by a will; something handed down from an ancestorE.g.His main legacy is the successful move into the internet era and the launch of the Coffee House blog, which has become a must read for anyone in politics.

legend:explanatory list of symbols on a map; unverified story handed down from earlier timesE.g.The legend is a truth, even as to names as well as general facts.

legerdemain:show of skill or deceitful cleverness, considered magical by naive observersE.g.The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.

legislature:part of government which makes lawsE.g.This political system limits and divides power between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.

leniency:mildness; quality of mercy or forgiveness, especially in the assignment of punishment as in a court caseE.g.That journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush is now reportedly asking for leniency from the prime minister.

lethal:deadly; causing or capable of causing deathE.g.In a decision the court upheld the use of all three drugs in lethal injections.

lethargic:drowsy; dull; indifferent or apatheticE.g.The stuffy room made her lethargic: she felt as if she was about to nod off.

levitate:float in air ,especially by magical meansE.g.The claim that I am able to levitate is simultaneously religious and scientific.

levity:lack of seriousness; lightness of manner or speech, especially when inappropriateE.g.Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew: such levity is improper in church.

levy:impose fine or tax; collect paymentE.g.Crying "No taxation without representation," the colonists demonstrated against England's power to levy taxes.

lewd:lustful; indecent; suggestive of or tending to moral loosenessE.g.I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct.

lexicographer:author or compiler of dictionary; one employed in making of vocabulary or wordbook of languageE.g.The new dictionary is the work of the famous lexicographer who spent years compiling and editing the work.

lexicon:dictionary; a stock of terms used in particular profession, subject, or style; vocabularyE.g.I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

liability:something that holds one back; state of being legally obliged and responsibleE.g.The other main liability is debt, which many banks used to finance risky investments, leading to the financial crisis.

libido:psychic and emotional energy associated with instinctual biological drives; sexual desireE.g.I don't feel sexy most of the time, and although my libido is running perversely high, I'm not really doing anything about it.

libretto:text of dramatic musical work, such as operaE.g.The composer of an opera's music is remembered more frequently than the author of its libretto.

license:official or legal permission to do or own a specified thingE.g.The effective date of the new license is January 1, 2010, you have to bring old one when driving.

licentious:amoral; unrestrained; lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal restraintE.g.Unscrupulously seducing the daughter of his host, Don Juan felt no qualms about the immorality of his licentious behavior.

limber:capable of moving, bending, or contorting easilyE.g.Hours of ballet classes kept him limber.

limbo:imaginary place for lost or neglected things; state of being disregarded or forgottenE.g.Outside of Congress another race that remains in limbo is the contest for chairman of the Republican National Committee.

limp:walk lamely, especially with irregularity, as if favoring one leg; move or proceed haltingly or unsteadilyE.g.Whistling to the dog, he began to limp on down the trail.

limpid:clear, transparent or bright; calm, untroubled, and without worryE.g.A limpid stream ran through his property.

lineage:direct descent from a particular ancestor; ancestryE.g.Amyfw, while everything you state about Jewish law and lineage is correct, George Allen would not be considered a Jew.

linger:be slow in leaving; continue or persist; stayE.g.India is anxious to avoid inflaming tensions with China, which linger from a 1962 border war.

linguistic:relating to language or linguistics; relating to study of languageE.g.The modern tourist will encounter very little linguistic difficulty as English has become an almost universal language.

lionize:look on or treat a person as celebrity; visit famous places in order to revere themE.g.The public seemed to lionize and adored her.

liquidate:settle accounts to pay them off; clear upE.g.He was able to liquidate all his debts in a short period of time.

list:lean or cause to lean to the side; lean over; itemizeE.g.That flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it seems to list to one side.

listless:lacking in spirit or energy to exert effortE.g.We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his listless attitude.

litany:repetitive or incantatory recital; long and tedious addressE.g.On this solemn day, the congregation responded to the prayers of the priest during the litany with fervor and intensity.

lithe:flexible; moving and bending with easeE.g.Her figure was lithe and willowy.

litigation:lawsuit; suit at law; judicial contest; legal proceeding in courtE.g.Still, a surge in litigation is likely, says Glen Lavy, a lawyer for a group that opposes gay marriage.

livid:lead-colored; black and blue; discolored, as from a bruise; extremely angryE.g.He was covered in livid scars and patches of discolored skin.

loath:unwilling or reluctant; filled with disgust or aversion; dislikeE.g.The Japanese government was loath to recognize the problem, preferring to wait in hopes that its banking system would heal itself.

loathe:dislike greatly; hate; cause to dislike or avoidE.g.Our priorities are ignored, and what we loathe is being pursued instead.

loft:elevation; room or space under a roof and above ceiling of the uppermost story; floor placed above anotherE.g.The room has a loft that leads to the bedrooms on the new second floor.

lofty:high, tall, having great height; idealistic, implying over-optimismE.g.Though Barbara Jordan's fellow students used to tease her about her lofty ambitions, she rose to hold one of the highest positions in the land.

log:record of a voyage or flight; record of day to day activitiesE.g.His anxiety was increasing with the advance of the season, and his log is a record of deep yearning to be free and active again.

loiter:stand idly about; linger aimlessly; proceed slowly or with many stopsE.g.The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley.

loll:be lazy or idle; move, stand, or recline in relaxed mannerE.g.They loll around in their chairs watching television.

longevity:long life; great duration of life; long duration or continuance, as in an occupationE.g.When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

loom:appear or take shape, usually in enlarged or distorted formE.g.The shadow of the gallows would loom threateningly above the small boy.

lope:gallop slowly; run or ride with steady, easy gait; travel an easy pace with long stridesE.g.As the horses lope along, we have an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery.

loquacious:talkative; given to continual talking; chatteringE.g.Though our daughter barely says a word to us these days, put a phone in her hand and see how loquacious she can be: our phone bills are out of sight!.

lottery:scheme for distribution of prizes by chance; gaming in which tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizesE.g.Dave, let's go to buy some lottery tickets, we have chance to win 1 million tonight.

lounge:public room with seating where people can wait; living room; lobbyE.g.A large lounge is situated at the last floor, a perfect place to see some of the the best views of Johannesburg.

lull:moment of calm; a period of calm weather; temporary quiet and restE.g.Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the cover for a lull in the rain.

lumber:move heavily or clumsily; cut down timber ofE.g.After its long hibernation, the bear was hard to lumber through the woods.

luminary:celebrity; person who is an inspiration to others; person who has achieved eminence in specific fieldE.g.A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical luminary whose name lives on.

lunar:pertaining to the moon; affecting the moonE.g.A successful launch will make India the third Asian nation to place a satellite in lunar orbit.

lunatic:insane; mad; wildly or giddily foolishE.g.Then, you know, they clapped them away in a lunatic asylum.

lurid:causing shock or horror; gruesomeE.g.It makes absolutely no sense, especially since there's a full video which seems to show every punch and every kick in lurid details.

lurk:stealthily lie in waiting; exist unperceivedE.g.Who knows what evil can lurk in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.

luscious:pleasing or sweet to taste or smellE.g.A traveler relating his tropical experiences glorifies the banana, stating that he has eaten it “ripe and luscious from the tree!”

lust:pleasure; inclination; longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoyE.g.Hormonally driven teenage lust is not a template for how adults should behave.

luster:shine, polish or sparkle; soft reflected lightE.g.The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing.

lustrous:giving out or shedding light, as sun or fire; reflecting light; having brilliant surfaceE.g.Her large and lustrous eyes lent a touch of beauty to an otherwise plain face.

luxuriant:abundant; rich and splendid; fertileE.g.Lady Godiva was completely covered by her luxuriant hair.

macabre:suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesomeE.g.Martin enjoyed macabre tales about werewolves and vampires.

mace:ceremonial staff borne or displayed as the symbol of authority of a legislative body; heavy fighting clubE.g.The mayor has a mace which is held as a sign of authority.

madrigal:song for two or three unaccompanied voices; short poem, often about love, suitable for being set to musicE.g.His program of folk songs included a famous madrigal which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute.

maelstrom:whirlpool; powerful circular current of waterE.g.The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom, it had to leave the dangerous water quickly.

magistrate:civil officer with power to administer and enforce lawE.g.Mr. Eshton, the magistrate of the district, is gentleman-like.

magnate:powerful or influential person, especially in business or industryE.g.The former telecommunications magnate is now living overseas, mostly in Dubai and Montenegro, to avoid imprisonment on a corruption conviction.

magnitude:extent; greatness of rank, size, or positionE.g.The magnitude of the flood was impossible to comprehend.

maim:wound seriously; cause permanent loss of function of limb or part of bodyE.g.The hospital was crowded, we believe the railroad accident to maim lots of people.

maladroit:showing lack of skill; clumsy or awkwardE.g.How maladroit it was of me to mention seeing you out partying last night! From the look on his face, I take it that your boyfriend thought you were otherwise occupied.

malaise:general sense of depression or unease; vague feeling of bodily discomfort, as at beginning of illnessE.g.Feeling slightly queasy before going onstage, Carol realized that this touch of malaise was merely stage fright.

malapropism:comic misuse of word, especially by confusion with one of similar soundE.g.When Mrs. Malaprop accuses Lydia of being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she confuses "allegory" and "alligator" in a typical malapropism.

malcontent:person dissatisfied with current conditions; discontented personE.g.If Matthew Hoh was some kind of malcontent or incompetent, this would not be the story that it is.

malediction:curse; evil speaking; utterance of curse or execrationE.g.When the magic mirror revealed that Snow White was still alive, the wicked queen cried out in rage and uttered dreadful malediction.

malefactor:criminal; one who does evil or injury to anotherE.g.Mighty Mouse will save the day, hunting down every malefactor and rescuing innocent mice from peril.

malevolent:having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; maliciousE.g.Lago is a malevolent villain who takes pleasure in ruining Othello.

malfeasance:misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by public officialE.g.The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled.